Tim Pawlenty Launches Campaign As The GOP Default Candidate

Tim Pawlenty officially launched his presidential bid today at a
town hall meeting in Iowa, hoping to
capitalize on the exits of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

The former Minnesota Governor spent Monday hammering on the
message he has tried to send to Iowa voters during his 13 other
visits to the state since 2008: He is a truth-telling
Midwesterner and fiscal conservative who can appeal to
Republicans across the conservative spectrum.

At least one Republican isn't buying Pawlenty's message. Former
Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson, a Republican, stabbed Pawlenty in
the front
with a blog post today that questions the candidate's fiscal
record as governor.

Carlson points out that under Pawlenty's watch, Minnesota
property taxes rose $2.5 billion, more than the previous 16 years
combined. He adds that Pawlenty relied on borrowing and other
short-term budget fixes to close Minnesota's persistent budget
deficits, a spending strategy that ultimately resulted in Moody's
lowering the state's bond rating.

"I come from the more traditional wing of the Republican Party
and truly believe in fiscal discipline and that the office of the
Presidency should go to our nation’s best and brightest and not
its most ambitious," Carlson writes.

Democrats also seized on Pawlenty's lack of an overarching
message Monday with video titled "Why?"

“Maybe Tim Pawlenty can’t articulate a coherent vision for the
country because he doesn’t have one,” Democratic National
Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan said in a statement
to the Washington Post. “He may want to be all things to all
people, but desperately trying to ingratiate himself with
everyone, anyone, is not a substitute for strong presidential
leadership.”